Grateful Greeting

XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD OMJ.

Okay, first off, please DO NOT click the link to full-view unless you're prepared to see a bit of blood and gore. If you do, don't be yellin' at me because you saw some blood you really didn't wanna see.

So yeah. XDDDD OMJ. I love this picture. So much. Everything just turned out so well from the sketch onward. I'm so HAPPY! lol Anyway. Yes, Danny is quite beat up, rofl. And Sam is bloody gorgeous. I love her. She looks awesome. And I WANT THOSE CLOTHES! But anyway. This was supposed to be a sappy Valentine's Day picture...it's a little bit late. Just a little.

Please check out the details if you like the picture, because I'm rediculously proud of how well the wounds came out. [link] That's them. Yep.

I'm such a dork.

Anyway, there's a little story that goes along with this...my brilliant and wonderful and witty roommate ~SnikkiPikkins came up with it and I adore it, so you shall as well. Naturally.

So here it is.

~~~~~~~~

Danny floated wearily through the Fenton portal, the door wooshing closed behind him. He shifted forms as he dropped to the floor, putting a hand on a lab table to steady himself.

He looked absolutely atrocious.

Scrapes mottled his skin and deep, septic-looking cuts ran up and down his legs. The entire right side of his face was bruised and swollen, the purple disappearing underneath his collar. Danny was not looking forward to explaining this to his mom.

Sam, on the other hand, barely noticed. The second he'd appeared she'd begun sprinting, and with a flying leap had propelled herself off the floor and straight into his chest, arms already going around his neck.

Unprepared for an attack in his own basement, all Danny could do was give a terrified gasp as his girlfriend slammed into him, lips already mashed against his. They hit the ground and he would have cried out in pain if her elbow hadn't already knocked the wind out of him.

"Oh! Oh--Danny! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" she said, pushing herself off of him. He frantically gulped for air but gamely waved his hand as though he was perfectly all right.

He heard Sam go bolting up the stairs, heels clattering on the steps, and by the time he'd regained his breath she was back, half-filled bowl of water and cloth in hand. She leaned over him, chewing on her lip as she carefully tried to clean up some of the blood. Her shirt was wet and Danny realized that she must have spilled most of it on the way back down.

"You," he said, between gasps of air, "You don't *gasp* you don't have to...to do that."

Her jaw clenched but she didn't say anything, just kept rubbing gently at his skin.

"I'm--" Shuddering breath. "I'm fine...really. I just..."

Sam sat back on her calves so suddenly that it made Danny dizzy. She slapped the wet cloth as hard as she could against the ground and it hit with a satisfying squelch.

"Don't you dare," she said, demeanor absolutely furious. "Don't you dare disappear for half a day and come back looking like this and try and tell me you're just fine. I won't take it. Don't do that to me."

Danny winced.

"I just...I won't..." she went on, voice faltering, "Don't ever...just...I just..."

"Sam..." he started, grasping for her hand.

"I hate you," she said, voice pure venom. Danny looked alarmed and rolled his head quickly to the side, his temple hitting the floor with a loud crack. Well, his day was just getting better and better.

"I hate you," she said again, but now that he could see her properly he realized that her face was screwed up as she desperately fought off tears. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you..."

Danny finally found her arm and, too tired to sit up himself, tugged at her gently. She folded, laying down beside him, eyes closed and tears leaking down her cheeks, still telling him that she hated him. He wrapped his arms around her as she cried into his chest.

"I hate you..." she whispered.

"I know," he said, gently kissing her temple. "I love you with all my heart, Sam."

He was asleep before she could reply, but he hadn't needed to hear it. He'd already known what 'I hate you' meant. Known it from the moment after she said it, known it with every tear that had fallen, known it with the feel of Sam's fingers in his hair.

"I love you, idiot," she said, brushing Danny's bangs off of his forehead. She stood up, and with a final, soft look at his face, went to find the first aid kit.

~~~~~~~~